by Allie Burton
“Sixteen.” I swallowed, feeling each of those years gong in my head.
“Thought so.” He looked forward and walked faster, like he’d proven his point.
But he hadn’t. My curiosity piqued. Coincidences could happen, but doubts swirled in my mind. “I don’t get it.”
“You’re pretty young for a thief.”
Strange change of conversation. I wasn’t about to tell Xander how I’d been raised.
Maybe he planned to lure me in with incredible stories of power and then, bam, take the amulet. I unbraided my hair as I thought, shaking out the brown tangles. Long hair was a hazard in my profession, but worth the risk. I pulled my hair over my shoulder and started to twist it into a braid again. Fitch told me I always did this when I was nervous. He demanded I cut my hair time and again. I refused—my one act of rebellion.
“So, what’s your real plan?” I used the elastic band to secure the braid.
Xander ogled me as we walked. Did he think my hair straggly? Did I care?
Heat flushed my face and this time it wasn’t caused by the amulet. His stare was annoying, uncomfortable, and yes, a bit of a turn-on. I shut that line of thought off. “What?”
“Nothing.” He jerked his head in the other direction, knowing he’d been caught.
Dismissed. Yeah, because I look so good in my all-black cat burglar attire with barely-there make-up and messy hair. He didn’t like me or think I was cute. I was just an anomaly.
So much for Prince Charming. Back to nothingness again.
Deflated, I licked my dry lips. Whatever he felt about me didn’t matter. I needed to find a way to ditch him. And soon.
I pulled my passion fruit lip gloss out of my pocket and coated my lips. Our steps echoed in the fog-enshrouded night, highlighting the ghostliness of the woods in Golden Gate Park. The acres-big park housed several museums, a few small lakes and ponds, bike paths, and lots of trees. Not that I spent any time here. I knew Highway One ran through the center of the park and it ended at the Pacific Ocean. That’s about it.
I headed into a thicker forested area. I wasn’t a nature-girl but I’d take any form of cover even if it consisted of bushes and bugs. Getting back to Fitch’s and finding out what had gone wrong was my top priority. On past jobs he’d waited for the others when they were behind schedule. I knew because I waited with him. Why hadn’t he waited for me? Did he think I failed my first heist?
My shoes squelched in mud. “Those men must’ve scared my contact away.” The only explanation. “Wonder who they were.”
“You should’ve looked outside first, then we wouldn’t have had to deal with the guys with guns.” Xander’s dry tone scraped against my spine.
“Who else would’ve been hanging around the museum tonight? Your cruel society people?”
“Did you hear everything?” Bitterness edged his words. “Why did you decide to help?”
“I couldn’t leave you lying there.” I bristled. I wasn’t about to tell him my reasoning or my past. And yes, I did feel sorry for him. A little.
“The Society did.”
No comparison between his society and my ring of thieves. Our history, our goals, our sense of loyalty were totally different. Even if loyalty was served with a side dish of knuckle sandwich.
“They’re not me.” I tripped on a limb half-buried in the dirt.
He reached out to help and stopped before we actually touched. His eyes became the size of Fitch’s fists. Was he so turned off he couldn’t stand the thought of touching me? I must be so far below him on the social scale.
Warmth snuck up my cheeks and I wanted to slink away. Instead, I snarled. “If you’re afraid to touch me, then why don’t you leave?” Getting away would be easier by myself. Lonelier, but easier. “You knew I was hiding behind those tablets. Why didn’t you tell Jeb where I was? Maybe he would’ve—”
“Not left me on the ground to get caught?” Xander shot me a know-it-all smile. “The Society of Aten still would’ve kicked me out because I don’t hold the power. And in the process, I would’ve helped them capture you. Didn’t seem like a fair trade.”
My spine ramrodded straight. My chin stuck up. My lips formed a disapproving line. He didn’t think I was good enough for his snobby society. Like I shouldn’t be allowed in their club.
Back up. I didn’t want them to want me.
“They want the amulet.” Just like Fitch. I fingered the gold under my shirt. Even in the damp air the disc felt warm.
“You have the power. The amulet alone has no value to the Society. They need the host of King Tut. Which is you.” He held back a group of branches for me. “It was supposed to be me.”
Passing him without a glance onto a paved bike path, I didn’t acknowledge his attempt at scaring me. Obviously, he didn’t understand that I didn’t believe him. Not really. Ignoring his information might be the best way to get him to stop talking, except with his strong voice and hard body he was hard to ignore. I didn’t want to listen and yet I felt compelled.
I stomped my feet to clean the mud. “I need to find a bus stop.” I had to get the amulet to Fitch tonight or I’d be severely punished. Wanted to kiss Tina and Doug before bed.
“Bus stop?” He scrunched his nose.
“Have a problem with taking the bus?” Not that he was going with me.
“I’ve never ridden one before.”
“You rich?”
Xander shook his head. “Just protected.”
“Where are your parents?” I’d never known my mom and dad.
“No parents.” His voice didn’t sound sad which surprised me.
While I didn’t want to know the parents who’d left me like garbage, most kids did. They had this secret wish that there had been a mistake and their parents had always wanted them. The kids didn’t realize they were the mistake.
“The Society thought it best if I stayed away from the general public.”
My eyebrows practically arched off my face. And I thought I had a weird upbringing. Guess, by the strangeness of our lives we actually had stuff in common. “This society raised you?”
“Since I was born. Home-educated me. Trained me.” He’d used the word trained before, like he was a show dog.
“This society—”
“The Society of Aten.”
“They picked you, raised you, because you were the correct age to receive King Tut’s soul at this precise moment in time?” The Society had acted like mad scientists training Xander for their own purposes. Anger foamed like the rabid dog’s mouth living in my alley. I hated people who used other people like objects. “And then they left you lying on the museum floor?”
“That’s right.” His teeth clicked together, hard. Hard enough for me to hear. “Since I didn’t receive the soul, and since you were the first to touch the amulet after the ancient words were spoken, the Society has no use for me.”
Xander halted. His gaze became fierce and almost protective. “But they’ll be searching for you.”
Chapter Four
Fog seeped through the park and floated over the bike path in front presenting us with another obstacle to get around. Like I didn’t have enough challenges already.
“What does this insane society think I can do?” I spit the words between tense lips. Great. More people following me—the society, the cops, and Xander. Plus, the weird guys on the loading dock.
“Aren’t you listening? By hosting King Tut’s soul, you control the sun.”
Control the sun? Control. The. Sun. Was he crazy?
Whether I believed Xander or not, I had to take the Society threat seriously. A harsh laugh burst out of my mouth. “So, you’re telling me I’m Mother-freaking Nature?”
“Not exactly.” He raised his hand toward me and then yanked it back. His face reddened. “Remember when you brushed past me in the museum and I fell? Your touch singed me, causing burning pain and dehydration.”
“Impossible.” I’d barely touched him. And I certainly di
dn’t singe. I wasn’t that hot.
“The powers are stolen from the sun.”
“Maybe these Society people brainwashed you.” I reached out to touch his hand. “You think you felt pain.” Of course that doesn’t explain the guy at the loading dock.
Xander jerked back. “I’ll show you another way.” He glanced around and then walked toward a muddy puddle on the path. “Come here.”
I sauntered over acting like I didn’t care, curious but disbelieving. “What.”
“Put your finger in the puddle.” He squatted down and I got another look at his tight thigh muscles.
Heat flared from my neck to my face. Sparks of awareness danced through my midsection. “We really need to find you pants.”
Again, his frustrated face reddened. He tugged at the edge of the tunic. “Just do it.”
The puddle didn’t look deep. Greenish moss or mold stained the edges. “Gur-ross.”
“You want proof? This is it.” In the bright moonlight, his expression seemed totally open and honest.
But how could they be honest about hosting an old pharaoh and having the powers of the sun? Unless he was a lunatic and didn’t realize the truth.
I huffed out a breath and crouched down next to the puddle. There goes my shiny manicure. I held up my hand, twisted my wrist, and gave him a princess-parade wave. Then I stuck out a finger, my middle finger, flipped it upside down and stuck it in the puddle.
Warmth spread from my face down my neck to my shoulder. Growing hotter, my arm heated all the way to my hand and then the tips of my fingernails. A strange sucking sensation pulled at my finger, like drinking out of a straw.
The water level in the puddle dropped. Slowly at first, and then faster.
The water was gone.
The proof was in front of me. Or wasn’t in front of me because I made the water disappear.
Disappear.
I fell back on my tush onto the hard asphalt bike path, my eyes as wide as the now-non-existent puddle. The warmth inside me died and froze over like ice on a pond.
“Like magic.” I sounded awe-struck.
“Like science—sun evaporates water.” Xander’s logical tone stood polar opposite to what he’d demonstrated.
This wasn’t logical at all.
“So I’m the sun?” Still dazed, I slumped farther down onto the pavement, probably dirtying my one pair of decent jeans.
“No, but you carry the powers of the sun inside you.”
My mind tried to wrap around what he’d told me, what the experiment had shown, what I felt inside. Which was everything and nothing. Shock and awe. Incredulity and terror. My brain ticked away, calculating and recalculating, but nothing added up. “If I carry the sun inside, wouldn’t I burn up?”
He got to his feet and pulled down his tunic. “I’m sure Tut can handle the power.”
Xander stood like a warrior. Squared shoulders, hands on his trim hips, stance wide. From my position on the ground I almost got a glimpse of what he wore underneath.
This is so not the time to be thinking about whether Xander wore boxers or briefs.
As what he said sunk in, a glow lit inside my chest. I wanted to dance. I felt lighter and stronger and more self-assured.
Like I was important.
A smile snuck onto my face. Could it be possible? Could I have received special powers related to the sun?
Who cares about the historical stuff.
I was special.
Special enough to do something more with my life. Really be somebody besides a thief. I might have powers beyond my wildest dreams. Like a super hero.
I sprang to my feet. “What else can I do?”
Xander’s jaw dropped almost to the ground. He seemed surprised I believed him. He turned and thundered away, his feet stomping out anger, not surprise.
I hurried to catch up. “What else can I do?”
“Stuff.”
“Like?” I skipped next to him. “Can I make it hot tomorrow? Can I evaporate the entire San Francisco Bay? Can I make it sunny 365 days-a-year or 24 hours-a-day? Can I get an insta-tan?”
Limitless possibilities. Seeing a pond to the side of the path, I ran over. “Watch this.” I crouched down on the rocks edging the small pond and stuck my finger in the water feeling the warmth and the sucking sensation and getting more excited with each missing drop. I watched the water evaporate. Doug and Tina would think this was so cool and I couldn’t wait to show them.
Xander leaned over me. “What about the fish?”
Several orange koi fish clustered in what had been the deepest part of the pond. Now only a few inches of water remained.
“Oh.” The warmth inside died. “Can I re-hydrate the pond?”
“No.”
I bit my lip, staring at the almost air-drowning fish. To them, it probably felt like being locked in a dark box or closet, barely able to breathe. Through carelessness I almost killed them. “What can I do to help the fish?”
“Nothing.” He pounded the ground harder as he walked away. So hard, if he had super powers—like me—I bet the ground would’ve shook.
He didn’t have super powers though. I did. But I still couldn’t help the fish. My mouth twisted down and confusion twirled in my mind. Maybe I did need his help.
“Are we still looking for a bus?” His feet stomped with each terse word, anger evident with each step.
Got it. If I’d been raised to believe I’d hold the sun’s power and then a stranger receives it I’d be angry, too. He shouldn’t blame me though. I received the powers by accident. He needs to get over it. Shooting him a half-smile, I tried to lighten the atmosphere. “Can I conjure one?”
“You don’t get it, do you?” His lips formed a thin line. “Your power comes with responsibility.”
“You’re being a downer.” I turned away from him not wanting to think about consequences and responsibility. Just wanting to enjoy my new-found power. At least for a few minutes. Responsible had been my middle name.
Responsible for learning Fitch’s trade.
Responsible for not getting caught.
Responsible for the younger kids in the family.
With power I could do what I wanted. I wouldn’t have to listen to others. To Fitch.
I’d control my own life. Put my powers to good use once I figured out how to use them. I could help Tina and Doug, and other kids like them to improve their lives. To get an education and someday a real job. I inhaled deeply and puffed out my chest with an air of self-satisfaction. Finally feeling good to be me.
You must move. A voice whispered in my mind right before a strong force pulled at my feet.
“Whoa!” I stumbled off the paved path and crashed into a bush. Air whooshed out of my lungs. “What the heck’s going on?”
My body straightened, jerked to the right and moved on. My heart revved like I was a remote control car and someone else had the stick. But I didn’t feel like a non-feeling car. Electricity zapped my entire body. Numbness invaded my limbs. Still I kept moving, marching, at a pace I hadn’t set.
“Where are you going now?” Disgust filled Xander’s voice as he followed me again.
Disgust because he thought I was joking around or because I stole his power?
Hurry, a voice inside my brain commanded.
“What?” Too overwhelmed to digest what was happening, my brain short-circuited. Voices in my head, my body moving on its own, Xander’s anger.
He caught up with me. “Can you hear me now? I asked where you’re going.” His words sounded like they came out between tight lips.
The force moved my legs, while the voice inside my head urged me on. We must discover their scheme.
“What scheme?”
“What are you talking about?” He trotted to keep up.
“Don’t know where I’m going.” But I knew I didn’t want to go there. I wrapped my arms around the trunk of a tree. My perfectly trimmed nails bit into the bark trying to hold tight. The rough surface
scratched my arms. “I can’t control myself.”
My earlier thoughts about being possessed returned. I might not be lusting for human flesh, yet, but I had no control of my feet. Shivers crawled across my skin leaving scratches of fear. What was next?
My entire body shook. I marched in place with jerky movements. This thing inside me now had control. I imagined the trouble it could cause. “Help me!”
“Quit playing and let’s find the bus.” Xander pinched his lips in a disgusted smirk. He kicked at the ground. “I’m cold and I’m hungry.”
“I can’t help it.” My feet kept moving. Unlike Xander’s brain which didn’t seem to understand my desperation. “How do I stop?”
“He’s taken control.” Xander whispered.
“Who’s taken control?” My shrill voice hurt my ears.
You didn’t listen, therefore I must force you to obey.
“Didn’t listen to what?” Because I heard the voice loud and clear now.
We will be forsaken, the commanding voice boomed.
I reached a hand to my forehead. My legs slipped away. Slapping my hand back around the tree, I shouted, “Xander, what aren’t you telling me?”
My heart quivered as if it had been given an overdose of caffeine. Was this a real possession of the horror-variety or was this a trick? I grasped at any logical explanation even if it meant accusing Xander. He’d shown me one of my abilities and I’d begun to believe in him. Believe in myself. Normally, I don’t trust strangers so easily and I still didn’t completely trust Xander, but extraordinary circumstances called for desperate measures. He was supposedly the expert.
And I was distressed.
Panic sliced through my gut. My breathing grew shallow, so shallow I sucked in each breath as if sipping air through a broken straw. “I’ll give back your stupid powers if you’ll make my feet stop.” My legs continued to move without going anywhere. I kept pulling them back. My arms ached from holding onto the tree and fighting my own body. I couldn’t hold on much longer. “Tell me how to stop this!”
Xander stepped closer and peered at me like I was under a microscope. “They warned me about certain side effects. That’s why everything tonight had been planned so precisely.”